The present invention relates to an infant warming apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus for providing the combined functions of an infant incubator and an infant warmer and which includes various safety interlocks as protection to the infant, the attending personnel and the apparatus itself.
There are, of course, many devices or apparatus for the warming of an infant and which supply the necessary heat to maintain the infant at a predetermined temperature. Of the various apparatus, there are infant warmers that are basically planar surfaces on which the infant is positioned and which planar surfaces generally include side guards to keep the infant safely within the confines of the apparatus. Infant warmers normally have an overhead radiant heater that is located above the infant and which thus radiates energy in the infrared spectrum to impinge upon the infant to maintain the infant at a warm, predetermined temperature. Since the infant is otherwise totally exposed to the surroundings, there is almost unlimited access to the infant by the attending personnel to perform various procedures on that infant. At typical infant warmer is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,517 of Falk et al as prior art to that patent.
There are also infant incubators and which are more confined enclosures that contain the infant within an enclosed controlled atmosphere that provides heat to the infant and also may provide control of humidity in the enclosed environment. Such incubators maintain the infant for long periods of time and there are handholes to access the infant and/or a larger door is provided that can be opened to access the infant or to insert or remove the infant to and from the incubator. Such devices provide a good atmosphere to the infant and control that local environment within which the infant is located, however, it is sometimes difficult to perform a wide variety of procedures on the infant due to the somewhat limited access to that infant. A typical infant incubator is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,824 of Koch et al.
At the present, there are also certain infant care apparatus that combine the functions of an infant warmer and an incubator. One such apparatus is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,077 of Donnelly et al and which has an overhead canopy including an infrared heater and the canopy and heater are raisable and lowerable with respect to an infant positioned in the apparatus. Therefore, the device can operate as an incubator when the canopy and heater are in the lowered position and can act as an infant warmer when the canopy and the heater are in the upper position.
One difficulty, however, is in the raising and lowering of the heater. It is important that the infant not be radiantly overheated by exposure to the heater in a position closely proximal to the infant. Such can occur if the heater is lowered to its lower position and the heater as well as other heated surfaces are exposed to the infant. The heated surfaces continue to emit infrared energy and convective energy and, at the close proximity to the infant, can cause harm to that infant from overheating.
In addition, it is important to insure that the infant as well as the attending personnel are not subjected to the possibility of touching any of the heated surfaces of the heater or components that are warmed by contact or close proximity to that heater. Thus, certain safety features are needed to make sure the overhead radiant heater is operated to prevent any inadvertent contact with the radiant heater by the infant or other personnel and further that the apparatus itself is protected against hazardous conditions.